Health insurer Blue Shield of California wants to raise rates as much as 20% for some individual policyholders, prompting calls for the nonprofit to use some of its record-high reserve of $3.9 billion to hold down premiums.

In filings with state regulators, Blue Shield is seeking an average rate increase of 12% for more than 300,000 customers, effective in March, with a maximum increase of 20%.

Health insurance premiums may as much as double for some small businesses and individual buyers in the U.S. when the Affordable Care Act’s major provisions start in 2014, Aetna Inc. (AET)’s chief executive officer said.

While subsidies in the law will shield some people, other consumers who make too much for assistance are in for “premium rate shock,” Mark Bertolini, who runs the third-biggest U.S. health-insurance company, told analysts yesterday at a conference in New York. The prospect has spurred discussion of having Congress delay or phase in parts of the law, he said.

“We’ve shared it all with the people in Washington and I think it’s a big concern,” the CEO said. “We’re going to see some markets go up as much as as 100 percent.”

Bertolini’s prediction is at odds with Congressional Budget Office estimates that the law will have little effect on small and large-employer plans and the Obama administration’s projections that middle-class families will actually save money. The 2010 law is expected to extend health care to about 30 million people who otherwise couldn’t get insurance, paid for by new taxes and fees on companies and wealthier individuals.

I have hands on experience in the Health Insurance Industry. Premiums have been going up like this since Obama Care passed. Get use to it.

Here in Indiana, Anthem BC has raised rates on average 12% per year (some areas as much as 20%) for the past two cycles with more to come. (On individual and group) Prior to Obama Care, we were seeing on average 4% increases annually.

Obama stated no new taxes on the middle class. Phuckin Liar as our Phellow Libtards would say.

The entire premise of Obama Care is to make private health insurance so expensive that no one can afford it. Then the Government can completely take over. Libtards!

I have hands on experience in the Health Insurance Industry. Premiums have been going up like this since Obama Care passed. Get use to it.

Here in Indiana, Anthem BC has raised rates on average 12% per year (some areas as much as 20%) for the past two cycles with more to come. (On individual and group) Prior to Obama Care, we were seeing on average 4% increases annually.

Obama stated no new taxes on the middle class. Phuckin Liar as our Phellow Libtards would say.

The entire premise of Obama Care is to make private health insurance so expensive that no one can afford it. Then the Government can completely take over. Libtards!

Nothing but a control grab.

Unfortunately, you are correct. The goal has always been single payer, but the public didn't want it. So they will make insurance so damned expensive that the public will scream for help from nanny government and then gladly accept "Universal Healthcare" in all it's liberal glory. Get ready for waits of months for routine diagnostic procedures and the complete inability to get treatments deemed to be too expensive.

Average premiums for employer-sponsored family health insurance plans rose 62 percent between 2003 and 2011, from $9,249 to $15,022 per year, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report. The report, which tracks state trends in employer health insurance coverage, finds that health insurance costs rose far faster than incomes in all states. Workers are also paying more out-of-pocket as employee payments for their share of health insurance premiums rose by 74 percent on average and deductibles more than doubled, up 117 percent between 2003 and 2011.

The report, State Trends in Premiums and Deductibles, 2003-2011: Eroding Protection and Rising Costs Underscore Need for Action, finds that total health insurance premiums now amount to 20 percent or more of annual median family incomes in 35 states, affecting 80 percent of the U.S. working-age population. States in the South and South-Central U.S. had the highest costs relative to household income-in West Virginia, New Mexico, South Carolina, and Texas, average total health insurance premiums amounted to more than 25 percent of median incomes.

Average premiums for employer-sponsored family health insurance plans rose 62 percent between 2003 and 2011, from $9,249 to $15,022 per year, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report. The report, which tracks state trends in employer health insurance coverage, finds that health insurance costs rose far faster than incomes in all states. Workers are also paying more out-of-pocket as employee payments for their share of health insurance premiums rose by 74 percent on average and deductibles more than doubled, up 117 percent between 2003 and 2011.

The report, State Trends in Premiums and Deductibles, 2003-2011: Eroding Protection and Rising Costs Underscore Need for Action, finds that total health insurance premiums now amount to 20 percent or more of annual median family incomes in 35 states, affecting 80 percent of the U.S. working-age population. States in the South and South-Central U.S. had the highest costs relative to household income-in West Virginia, New Mexico, South Carolina, and Texas, average total health insurance premiums amounted to more than 25 percent of median incomes.

As usual....
The point went right over your head.
Premiums have increased more in the past 24 months than total over the past 6 years.

Let me type slower for you.
Obama Care (AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE ACT) has inflated health care premiums to the private market MORE in the past 24 months than previous years. The ENTIRE purpose of Obama Care is to push private citizens into a single payer GOVERNMENT CONTROLLED plan. When you can no longer afford your own insurance and your employer can no longer afford to provide private insurance to you, who are you going to turn to? You got it.

The AFFORDABLE Health Care Act, was NEVER about reducing costs. If it was about reducing costs, other completely opposite steps would have been taken. The Health Insurance Industry knew upfront that this program would increase costs and there for PREMIUMS and there for REVENUE to them. That is why they jumped on board. Not only was everyone going to be forced to buy their products, but they'd be forced to purchase their products at INCREASED costs. Big corporations and the government are making out on this program and the private citizen takes it up the ass again.

I have a customers renewal statement in front of me. Last year's monthly cost for his individual health coverage for he and his wife, $1100 per month. This year, starting this month.....$1397 per month. That's 28% UP in one year. What happen to the AFFORDABLE Health Care plan????

Look, you and I know that rates have been increasing with and without the new law. Plain and simple. EVERY YEAR for the past 6 years my company changed companies because they couldn't afford the rate hike(always more than the mere 4% you state), but as a new customer with another company it was cheaper.

And as far as I can tell now, any rate increases are fear-mongering, as the new law isn't even implemented yet. Sure, there are projections...but just as there are projections stating that things will get more expensive, there are other stating the opposing...so again I ask...whats that they say about statistics?

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Look, you and I know that rates have been increasing with and without the new law. Plain and simple. EVERY YEAR for the past 6 years my company changed companies because they couldn't afford the rate hike(always more than the mere 4% you state), but as a new customer with another company it was cheaper.

And as far as I can tell now, any rate increases are fear-mongering, as the new law isn't even implemented yet. Sure, there are projections...but just as there are projections stating that things will get more expensive, there are other stating the opposing...so again I ask...whats that they say about statistics?

Somehow I have my doubts that they are going to suddenly cover 47 million more people - none of whom pay for it, and lower costs for the rest. Only cookbooked projections could come up with that result.

Look, you and I know that rates have been increasing with and without the new law. Plain and simple. EVERY YEAR for the past 6 years my company changed companies because they couldn't afford the rate hike(always more than the mere 4% you state), but as a new customer with another company it was cheaper.

And as far as I can tell now, any rate increases are fear-mongering, as the new law isn't even implemented yet. Sure, there are projections...but just as there are projections stating that things will get more expensive, there are other stating the opposing...so again I ask...whats that they say about statistics?

Somehow I have my doubts that they are going to suddenly cover 47 million more people - none of whom pay for it, and lower costs for the rest. Only cookbooked projections could come up with that result.

How in the world could a group of politicians name it the "Affordable Health Care Act" then??? I'm confused?

As usual....
The point went right over your head.
Premiums have increased more in the past 24 months than total over the past 6 years.

Let me type slower for you.
Obama Care (AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE ACT) has inflated health care premiums to the private market MORE in the past 24 months than previous years. The ENTIRE purpose of Obama Care is to push private citizens into a single payer GOVERNMENT CONTROLLED plan. When you can no longer afford your own insurance and your employer can no longer afford to provide private insurance to you, who are you going to turn to? You got it.

The AFFORDABLE Health Care Act, was NEVER about reducing costs. If it was about reducing costs, other completely opposite steps would have been taken. The Health Insurance Industry knew upfront that this program would increase costs and there for PREMIUMS and there for REVENUE to them. That is why they jumped on board. Not only was everyone going to be forced to buy their products, but they'd be forced to purchase their products at INCREASED costs. Big corporations and the government are making out on this program and the private citizen takes it up the ass again.

I have a customers renewal statement in front of me. Last year's monthly cost for his individual health coverage for he and his wife, $1100 per month. This year, starting this month.....$1397 per month. That's 28% UP in one year. What happen to the AFFORDABLE Health Care plan????

Sounds like the Insurance companys are making hay while the sun shines. If the major portion of the bill is not even effective, it seems like they'll get us riled up enough to help them keep the costs inflated. Sure helps them, just a thought.......

By the way, rate increases in the past 24 months, since the time the Affordable Health Care Act was passed, have been more than double those of previous years. Why is that? You can't provide MORE coverage for LESS money. You can't remove exclusions and charge less. You can't keep your kids on the plan until they retire and charge less. Only a liberal would fall for the political lies.

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